Messe Frankfurt and VNU Group join forces to launch a new meat and food processing trade show for the Asian market in March 2023

In a strategic expansion into the growing food technology sector, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and VNU Group, announced a partnership to jointly organise ‘Meat Pro Asia’, a new trade show dedicated to meat and food processing and catering to the Asian market. The show will take place on a biennial basis in co-location with VIV Asia – the no.1 international trade show from Feed to Food in Asia. The inaugural edition will open its doors from 8 – 10 March 2023 at IMPACT, Bangkok, Thailand.

Commenting on the new event, Mr. Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt Group, said: “Despite a challenging two years, we continue to see the need to establish new trade fairs in emerging markets around the world. With an increasingly wealthy population of 600 million, the ASEAN region is an exciting prospect, with high potential for growth in sectors such as meat and food processing.”

“Adding to an international network of events related to food processing technologies, Meat Pro Asia is Messe Frankfurt’s first venture in this sector in South East Asia,” noted Mr. Stephan Buurma, Member of the Board of Management, Messe Frankfurt Group and Managing Director of the Asia regional head office. “We therefore see great potential to leverage our experience and sector expertise, including the resources of IFFA in Frankfurt, the world’s leading meat processing trade fair, for the benefit of the industry in Asia.”

Combining industry resources

“Working closely with Messe Frankfurt, we aim at attracting the top suppliers and buyers in the processing industry to Meat Pro Asia, establishing this exhibition as a top destination in Asia for meat processing and packaging equipment” said Mr. Igor Palka, Managing Director of VNU Asia Pacific. “VIV Asia has witnessed a consistent growth during the recent editions of the food processing segment. By holding Meat Pro Asia alongside VIV Asia, and leveraging on the experience of Messe Frankfurt in this specific sector, we are going to provide the entire spectrum of food technology to trade buyers. We are confident that this new event will be a great success,” Palka added.

“Internationality is a key ingredient of both VIV Asia and the concurrent Meat Pro Asia show,” says Ms. Panadda Kongma, Director of Agribusiness and Operations, VNU Asia Pacific. “The new dates in 2023 will benefit all parties by attracting more international buyers and industry luminaries. March has long been the traditional timeslot of VIV Asia and a well-established sourcing period for the industry every two years. We are therefore thrilled to have secured a prime timeslot at the venue for Meat Pro Asia during this period in 2023.”

A vibrant market

Expected to grow by 4.7% annually until 2023*, the market for processed foods in ASEAN has been bolstered by the demands of a rising middle class.

More important contributors to the industry’s growth trajectory are government policies which aim to convert Thailand into one of the world’s top five food exporters by 2036^#, thereby fostering a favourable trading and regulatory environment for Meat Pro Asia’s participants to benefit from when it opens its doors in March 2023.

Comprehensive product coverage from farm to table

Meat Pro Asia focuses exclusively on solutions that deliver meat from farm to table. This includes slaughtering, the full processing chain, packaging, labelling, cold chain logistics, quality control, hygiene, IoT and automation, waste water treatment and more.

The inaugural edition of Meat Pro will be held from 8 – 10 March 2023. Together with VIV Asia, the two fairs are set to attract over 1,500 exhibitors, including equipment manufacturers and distributors, as well as around 50,000 trade visitors, professionals and key buyers from around the world.

Meat Pro Asia is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and VNU Group. For more information, please e-mail meatproasia@china.messefrankfurt.com and/or meatproasia@vnuasiapacific.com .

* ‘$1.15 Billion Southeast Asia Food Processing Equipment Market 2018-2023 – Increasing Consumer Demand for Processed Food’, Business Insider, https://bit.ly/3eeBRk3

^# Thailand: Food Industry’, Thailand Board of Investment, https://bit.ly/2Y8pRLp.